One big, one small, one stripe
Tips and tricks for a beauteous home
Hello lovely lot,
Long time no see, eh?
Here are a few tips and tricks that I’ve shared in recent projects that you might like to make use of at home:
Mixing pattern
If you want to bring more pattern into your home (great!) but are not sure where to start try:
One big, one small, one stripe
Unless you’re a maximalist, having more than one big pattern in a room can be a bit much. Particularly if they don’t speak the same language like florals and geometrics.
Balance one big print with something smaller and then use a stripe if you want a bit more oomph.
Remember, the way a fabric sits in a space also has an impact. Curtains, for the most part when open, are gathered so you can take a bolder pattern across them without it being too demanding visually. Sofas have more lumps and bumps so keep that in mind when you have a complex pattern with a repeat. Headboards are flat to a wall so you’ll engage with the pattern more than floor level textiles like rugs.
sometimes the colour we love is not the colour we need…
Choosing paint
Undertone, orientation, type of light
If you want warmth, opt for a yellow or red undertone and even if the paint is neutral it won’t feel cold. Dimity by Farrow and Ball is a good example of this.
Think about the direction your light is coming from: south (lots of light for most of the day, generally bright), west (warmer, evening), east (warmer, morning) north (less of it and cooler). This impacts how the paint ‘reads’
Electric or natural light? If you only use the room at night you will read the paint colour via the tint of your bulb so keep that in mind, sometimes the colour we love is not the colour we need…
When you plan a new space you want to make sure your furnishings don’t prevent you moving around or create any dead areas
Layout
Off the wall, access, unexpected
If you have the room, bring the furniture off the wall and add other exciting things behind it like tables, lamps and rugs. If you have a fireplace, grouping things nearer to it helps create a cosy pocket within a room.
When you plan a new space you want to make sure your furnishings don’t prevent you moving around or create any dead areas. If you’re feeling stuck- try the unexpected and put something where you think it will never work or book someone like me to draw you a layout so you can anticipate the pinch points and not buy costly pieces that don’t fit!
Lighting
Circuits, reachable, rechargeable
In a bedroom it’s nice to have things on multiple circuits if at all possible so you can control overheads, lamps or bedside lights from the comfort of bed.
On wall lights, if they’re on a switch, make sure they’re installed at a super easy height to reach across and switch them off.
If you’ve not been blessed with good socket layouts, Pooky has brought out a new set of rechargeable table lamps which give 15+ hours of run time and use USB C to charge. You just pop out the bulb and plug it in.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend when you get there.
All best,
S